Thought i would put a few pics up here for you to look at.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/munky2/0510011458.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/munky2/2011-05-10_12-31-13_120.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/munky2/P1030197.jpg

Hopefully this will be fully sawn and milled by this weekend.

Cheers
Mike

JohnnyChance

05-12-2011, 02:43 AM

What kind of wood? What will it be used for, handle material, other things?

Potato42

05-12-2011, 06:02 AM

Sweet! Man I need to find me some logs like that.

watercrawl

05-12-2011, 10:00 AM

Maple Burl, no?

apicius9

05-12-2011, 10:03 AM

I'm not looking.

Stefan

Mike Davis

05-12-2011, 10:14 AM

The top burl and the root system are Box Elder,the bottom one is Maple. I have the full maple tree getting dropped in about 2 weeks, been dead and still standing for 3-4 years, it is pretty hard stuff. Sorry, i posted this on Del's page because he will end up with a bunch of it. The burl in the top pic is about 16" and it goes completely through the roots :)

Mike Davis

05-12-2011, 10:15 AM

And yes, Johnny...lot's of handles :)

watercrawl

05-12-2011, 10:34 AM

...the bottom one is Maple.

Can I have that center section? I'll even be gracious and pay for shipping.

That looks to be some really killer stuff.

Delbert Ealy

05-12-2011, 11:34 AM

Can I have that center section? I'll even be gracious and pay for shipping.

That looks to be some really killer stuff.

Sorry I got first dibs, I am planning on making a lot of knives this year :)

watercrawl

05-12-2011, 11:40 AM

I was just messing around Del! :)

SpikeC

05-12-2011, 01:33 PM

Major coolness! This beats the heck out of buying little pieces as far as I'm concerned. More work, but what fun!

Mike Davis

05-12-2011, 01:48 PM

I think half of the fun is in the exploration. From finding, and logging to cutting up the wood to see what surprises await inside! I will soon have a substantial amount ready to ship for stabilization, so maybe i will have some available for you guys :) The wood i get is getting split evenly 3 ways. Delbert is one of the 3 ways lol. So Del...does that mean i get a Gyuto? hahahaha

Eamon Burke

05-12-2011, 06:31 PM

That looks like an exciting score! Keep posting!

I have a friend on Facebook whose girlfriend posted a picture of a "gross tree"...it was a massive Pecan Burl, which IIRC, are pretty bloody rare. Of course, I asked, and she remembers nothing about it or it's location.

I have since kept my eyes peeled for just this thing.

Michael Rader

05-12-2011, 06:54 PM

Hey, let's see some pictures of it cut up. I'll show you mine if you show me yours :-)

You'll be seeing some kitchen knife handles out of this in a few months.
http://www.fototime.com/0445FDB08D41DBF/standard.jpg

That Box Elder Burl of yours should be nothing short of amazing.
-M

Mike Davis

05-13-2011, 08:43 AM

Love the spalt, Michael. You plan on stabilizing that? Might have to trade you a few pieces :beer: I noticed that some of the edging of the box elder has some spalting in it. Mine goes to the sawmill today for sure, so should be done by monday :)

Michael Rader

05-13-2011, 12:29 PM

Yeah, needs to dry some more and cut down a bit to handle-sized pieces before I send it off to WSSI. We might be able to work something out. I love Box Elder Burl lots, so....
-M

Customfan

05-13-2011, 01:53 PM

Wow!! Can't wait! :drool:

Delbert Ealy

05-13-2011, 02:13 PM

The latest batch from stabilization :viking:
Almost 50 lbs

watercrawl

05-13-2011, 02:21 PM

50 pounds? :o

I felt like a high roller and sent in 6 pounds. LMAO!!!

Mike @ WSSI treated me like a king though.

Michael Rader

05-13-2011, 02:43 PM

Sweet. It's going to be a good year!!
-M

apicius9

05-13-2011, 03:12 PM

The latest batch from stabilization :viking:
Almost 50 lbs

That looks sweet, I'd love to roam through that and have a closer look... I got about 30 pounds back from K&G a few weeks ago and the next box is almost full.

Just wondering: Do you guys see a quality difference between WSSI and K&G? I have just used K&G lately because they were faster, more responsive, and easier to reach. Maybe I was just unlucky, I had a hard time getting a hold of Mike the last few times I tried. I thought both were good but I never compared wood treated by them directly.

Stefan

SpikeC

05-13-2011, 03:14 PM

That pile ought to last a few weeks!

Michael Rader

05-13-2011, 08:43 PM

Never used K&G, so don't know. WSSI has been good to me. I fill up a box, send it to them and two weeks later they call asking for my credit card #. (I give them Stephan Fowler's... don't tell.) I'm pretty sure they use a different resin and/or heat setting, but it would be interesting to cut one piece in half, send one to K&G and send one to WSSI and compare quality, etc...
-M

Delbert Ealy

05-13-2011, 10:02 PM

I have not sent any to K&G although I have used a few pieces that were done by them. I know the resin they use is slightly different, because some woods stabilized by K&G aremore reactive to certian chemicals than WSSI. I use WSSI because I have always had good results and Mike lets me know if there are any issues. Sent him that batch on april 19 and got it back on may 9 priority mail both ways. 20 days total 4 for shipping and 2 weekends makes 12 days which works just fine for me. There will be more work for Mike soon. :viking:

Mike Davis

05-13-2011, 11:19 PM

Especially after i bring you the next load :p

Mike Davis

05-16-2011, 02:45 AM

Wanted to share some of the newest en route.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/munky2/2011-05-13_19-05-14_472.jpg

:)

apicius9

05-16-2011, 03:15 AM

Thousands of eyes looking at me :eek2:

Stefan

Mike Davis

05-21-2011, 12:33 AM

Here is a small Black Locust burl that i got my hands on. Not exactly the most well known or used wood, but it is 2 years dry. The guy i got them from has a portable saw mill and will have them cut up for me hopefully sunday :) Thought i would get it up here for you guys to peek at
Oh...btw, it is 16 feet long and 34 inches in diameter without the burls.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/munky2/0517119518301.jpg

JohnnyChance

05-21-2011, 12:41 AM

The Black Locust Burl sounds and looks badass. Love burls...can I get a piece!? Maybe I will get some attached to a Del.

Potato42

05-21-2011, 12:54 AM

You guys are making me drool.:drool: I'd love to find some kinda burl or spalted tree around here to cut up.

apicius9

05-21-2011, 12:57 AM

Good grief, I feel like a big player when I order a whole flat rate box full of stuff... That's a big burl, dang. I look forward to seeing a few pics. And please don't tell me where I can order some, no matter how much I will beg :D

Stefan

Mike Davis

05-21-2011, 01:17 AM

HAHAHA! You guys kill me. I will hopefully have this in hand on sunday. I have a pretty unique deal with Delbert, He gets first dibs on everything. I feel like his handle material purveyor lol, but i am sure between us, we will have some sweet stabilized stuff for sale at really reasonable prices. I will probably do a few pieces of some cool stuff i have right now as a give away just to see what people think about it all.

Actually Stefan, i would be willing to send you a few really nice pieces for you to craft with if you would be willing to make me a handle.:outonlimb:

apicius9

05-21-2011, 01:55 AM

Hi Mike, no problem. Let's talk in PM.

Stefan

SpikeC

05-21-2011, 11:56 AM

Better get it done by 6:00 eastern!

watercrawl

05-21-2011, 01:01 PM

Better get it done by 6:00 eastern!

I bought a yacht and a million dollar home yesterday. Might as well live it large for a day. :D

Potato42

05-21-2011, 03:37 PM

Better get it done by 6:00 eastern!

I bought a yacht and a million dollar home yesterday. Might as well live it large for a day. :D

I must be missing something.:what:

Delbert Ealy

05-21-2011, 04:01 PM

I think the world was supposed to end this morning :viking:

SpikeC

05-21-2011, 04:17 PM

this evening, actually!

watercrawl

05-21-2011, 09:05 PM

Yeah, world was supposed to end at 6:00 PM Eastern time. Didn't happen and now I owe a loan shark a couple mill. :(

apicius9

05-21-2011, 09:17 PM

Or - it happened and we are left down here, waiting for things to come while some others have gone 'upstairs' :D

Michael Rader

05-22-2011, 01:55 AM

Damn. Now, I'm still stuck here with all of you!!! I thought I'd have this place all to myself :-(
Suppose I should pay Fowler back on his credit card now...

-M

kalaeb

05-22-2011, 12:46 PM

Yup, still here. I thought there might have been just a slight delay. Going to have to wait until Dec of 2012 now. When does Haileys comet come around again?

Mike Davis

05-23-2011, 11:08 AM

Ok update...This log is getting slabbed hopefully as i write this. Here is a few better pics of it. I am wrong, it is not black locust, it is honey locust, which i guess is a great natural wood for weather resistance. The guy i got it from made a huge deck out of it and it looks amazing.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/munky2/2011-05-22_11-24-21_60.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/munky2/2011-05-22_11-32-53_85.jpg

I cut a small burl off it to see what it looks like...Beautiful.....super excited

watercrawl

05-23-2011, 11:17 AM

I wish I could find a log like that around here.

Mike Davis

05-23-2011, 11:28 AM

Where are you at Watercrawl?

watercrawl

05-23-2011, 11:32 AM

Omaha, NE!! Home of few trees and flat roads. :D

Tristan

05-23-2011, 09:44 PM

Hmm, so basically the uglier the stump, the more gorgeous the wood? Burls are not the most attractive physical feature when the tree is still standing right?

Can you guys just cart away a tree that is lying around? The woodwork locally isn't very developed. Might have something to do with how ALL the trees are restricted.

Bit of random trivia: The trees that line our roads, parks, thoroughfares, pavements etc etc are numbered and recorded. Yes, they try to record all of them (but only the older ones are already fully on record as heritage trees). And if/when you damage one of them... you will be billed. If you can't pay the fine, you go to jail. Picking fruits off trees is chargeable up to $2000 (some guy got hit by it taking 8 mangoes home for his wife from a public tree. $250 per mango. His excuse was that she was pregnant and craving mangoes. He got to keep the 8 mangoes from what I remember)

If you were to run off the road and smash into a tree and damage/kill it... you'll be billed the cost of that tree, by species, by age. So after you realise you're stupid for wrecking your car on a tree... you'll also realise you're dumb for wrecking said tree.

Oh, and if you own private property land, some of the trees on your property are still not to be cut. You need to get permission. Again, if you cut the trees and it was planted by the government for whatever reason and not meant to be cut... you'll have to pay the bill for killing it. Only the trees You plant, or that they deem unimportant can be removed from your land.

Mike Davis

05-23-2011, 10:33 PM

Hmm, so basically the uglier the stump, the more gorgeous the wood? Burls are not the most attractive physical feature when the tree is still standing right?

Yeah, for the most part. Generally, disfigurements of the tree generate some sort of ripple or rupture in the straight grain of the tree. Burl are pretty much a disease on a tree that has at one point suffered some sort of damage.

And for the rest of your post.....:dazed: I never knew that. Guess it is one more way for the government to make money off the people....

Delbert Ealy

05-23-2011, 11:14 PM

Hmm, so basically the uglier the stump, the more gorgeous the wood? Burls are not the most attractive physical feature when the tree is still standing right?

Can you guys just cart away a tree that is lying around? The woodwork locally isn't very developed. Might have something to do with how ALL the trees are restricted.

Bit of random trivia: The trees that line our roads, parks, thoroughfares, pavements etc etc are numbered and recorded. Yes, they try to record all of them (but only the older ones are already fully on record as heritage trees). And if/when you damage one of them... you will be billed. If you can't pay the fine, you go to jail. Picking fruits off trees is chargeable up to $2000 (some guy got hit by it taking 8 mangoes home for his wife from a public tree. $250 per mango. His excuse was that she was pregnant and craving mangoes. He got to keep the 8 mangoes from what I remember)

If you were to run off the road and smash into a tree and damage/kill it... you'll be billed the cost of that tree, by species, by age. So after you realise you're stupid for wrecking your car on a tree... you'll also realise you're dumb for wrecking said tree.

Oh, and if you own private property land, some of the trees on your property are still not to be cut. You need to get permission. Again, if you cut the trees and it was planted by the government for whatever reason and not meant to be cut... you'll have to pay the bill for killing it. Only the trees You plant, or that they deem unimportant can be removed from your land.

I can understand that for the trees planted by the government and for those on gov land, however the rules are slightly different in this part of the country, it may hold true for old growth, but there is very little of that left in michigan, almost all of it was logged off in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Not to mention the fire that swept through much of michigan in 1871 the same year as the great chicago fire. Most of my propery is wooded, and if I so chose I could clear cut it with no permission at all. Now I like it the way it is, but my point is that if I wanted to cut a tree(or all of them) I can do as I like. The ony ones concerned would be my neighbors and only then if a tree of mine damaged some of their property.

apicius9

05-23-2011, 11:39 PM

I had just talked with my Dad in Germany about that. Over there, they try to protect old growth trees, so even on your own property you need a permit - and a convincing reason - to cut down a tree once they are over a certain diameter. Smaller ones you can cut any time. I know, this is un-American, but I actually like the concept.

Stefan

so_sleepy

05-24-2011, 12:08 AM

In Austin you need a permit to cut down large trees. The city requires a justification for trees 19-24" and may require mitigation by the property owner (planting new growth). The criteria for removal get more stringent for trees larger than 24" and public hearings are called for anything larger than 30". It is really only a problem for commercial developments since public pressure can prevent them getting the permits. The maximum fine is only $2000 so some developers just see it as a cost of doing business if they get caught.

watercrawl

05-24-2011, 09:10 AM

I work for a general contractor and we once built a project in Nebraska City, NE...which is like tree capital USA.

Anywho, on the drawings for the project were a list and locations for trees within the projects boundaries that were not to be touched. We had to put up protective fence and such around said trees. Fertilize them, prune them, etc. If, by chance, we killed one, the cost was retarded. It was $10,000/inch of diameter of the thickest part of the trunk. Several of the trees were in the 24" to 30". We figured if we killed them all, it would cost nearly $5,000,000.....there were like 30 trees or some such. Luckily we didn't kill any. :D

Mmhh, nice. If I hadn't just paid Jantz, K&G, and Supergrit I would definitely be interested also. Maybe I 'll check out the leftovers next month...

Stefan

Eamon Burke

07-07-2011, 06:38 PM

In the town I grew up in, Live Oak trees are the name of the game, and they are strong, stumpy, old trees. If you want to cut one down that's bigger than 2" in diameter, you need a permit. Over 12? No permit. There are houses built around the trees.

Except for Wal-mart. They had the law temporarily repealed and bulldozed about 15 acres so they could build a bigger wally world right next door to the old one. Nice fellas.

That burl is amazing, it boggles me that wood really just *grows* like this!

Mike Davis

07-07-2011, 09:40 PM

Its said that if everyone cut their spending at Wal Mart in half, we could sway the countries economy.....
And yes, we loves the burl :)

Burl Source

07-07-2011, 09:56 PM

I think we need to see photos of what you went through to get that good looking block.
I would be willing to bet you have a lot of kindling left over for this winter.

Mike Davis

07-07-2011, 11:48 PM

lol i have been having bonfires almost every night....If i didnt i would have a 6 foot diameter pile in the garage....Ill get some pics later lol

Mike Davis

07-07-2011, 11:56 PM

I forgot to show a pic of the locust...Got a few burls off it, had them slabbed at 1 1/2 thick, and have like 17 boards i still need to get worked out.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/munky2/2011-06-12_19-29-03_996.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/munky2/2011-06-12_19-29-12_782.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/munky2/2011-06-12_19-29-23_950.jpg

Once i get this all chopped up(after Del gets his of course) I will be sending batches out for stabilization.....Scared at the cost of all that lol...

Anyway...enjoy

Mike Davis

07-08-2011, 01:11 AM

Here are a few more pics....
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/munky2/2011-07-08_01-02-41_903.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/munky2/2011-07-08_01-06-38_949.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/munky2/2011-07-08_01-03-50_692.jpg

And that's just the Locust! Maple drops in a couple weeks and goes straight onto the mill...doing that at 1 1/2 thick also. Just tried the new bandsaw....Scales shouldn't be any problem.

Burl Source

07-10-2011, 03:41 PM

Mike
You are now officially a hard core wood junky.
When you start cruising the area looking for unusual wood to cut up, you are beyond any chance of recovery.
I'd even bet you point out trees in people's yards and ask yourself "I wonder if they would sell that tree?"
I am speaking from experience.
Up until about 6 years ago I used to have a good paying job and the other trappings of a successful career.
Now look what I have become. Just some old guy in a hippie town pushing wood to support my habit.

Mike Davis

07-10-2011, 07:43 PM

HAHAHA! Mark, you are 110% correct! I stop at people's houses about once a week....I now have 7 more trees to get cut up. I am out to the garage tonight to get some more of this stuff blocked up, I will get you a couple pieces in the mail....should be about 4-6% MC and you can see how you like it....Has a pretty natural lemon to honey coloration. Maple hits the mill next..maybe i can do the 2 maples and all the box elder on the same day....we shall see.

AUSSIE BURLS

07-13-2011, 08:04 PM

Mike
You are now officially a hard core wood junky.
When you start cruising the area looking for unusual wood to cut up, you are beyond any chance of recovery.
I'd even bet you point out trees in people's yards and ask yourself "I wonder if they would sell that tree?"
I am speaking from experience.
Up until about 6 years ago I used to have a good paying job and the other trappings of a successful career.
Now look what I have become. Just some old guy in a hippie town pushing wood to support my habit.
Isnt that the truth, I went through a huge burl hunt phase. I ended up with mostly cherry burls and spalted maple. The last cherry burl I found was at a flea market. They were bull dozing it out for parking space. This was the biggest burl I have found. It is about 4 ft high with a girth of 3ft++ or so. It looks like a snowman. I always stop at construction site and ask to go through their cut wood piles- had some luck there. Now I cant help but to spot burls,crotches or wood thats been sitting on the ground for awhile. Its lots of fun, but can get consuming at times, thats why I had to slow it down ( me wife).lol Now when i find something, I let it sit in a nice dry cool place till whenever- compared to when I use to get the burls, I would cut them up with a week..Mike those are amazingly gorgeous!!!! Isnt it fun!!!! Thanks for sharing the photos-Mark

jmforge

07-31-2011, 12:33 AM

Eamon, here in Florida, you need a permit to cut down any live oak that is considered a "grandfather' oak. The funny part is that my parents leave on Davis Island in Tampa which is mostly bay bottom spoil fill from when the moved the port dowtown in the teens and dredged a channel. They have turned two other big spoil bank islands into bird sanctuaries. My folks house is one of the oldest on the island and it was built in 1926. They have two "permitted" trees and they were both planted by the developer in the 20's because the land that the sit on didn't exist prior to around 1914. Crazy that the government says that you can't even trim branches larger than a certain diameter off of your house plants without a permit. LOL Out east of Tampa, we still do have a lot of true granfather oaks, but those are tres that are as much as 500 years old and they have HUGE 8-10 foot wide trunks with hollows and splits from where they have been hit by lightning over the centuries. Wild looking trees that don't get much taller, just wider from top to bottom. The odd thing about the tree huggers is that they will never admit that the Eastern United States is actually more heavily forested now than it was in 1900 and with the expception of some forests in the Smoky Mountains area and maybe some other hard to get to areas way up in places like the Northern Kingdom area in Vermont, it is almost all second growth and a lot of it has been planted by us. As amatterof fact, in places where we have planted hardwoods like Live Oaks, we have bypassed at least 500 years of "evolution" for lack of a better term and gone straight to late growth deciduous hardwood forest. .
In the town I grew up in, Live Oak trees are the name of the game, and they are strong, stumpy, old trees. If you want to cut one down that's bigger than 2" in diameter, you need a permit. Over 12? No permit. There are houses built around the trees.

Except for Wal-mart. They had the law temporarily repealed and bulldozed about 15 acres so they could build a bigger wally world right next door to the old one. Nice fellas.

That burl is amazing, it boggles me that wood really just *grows* like this!

Daniel Fairly

08-09-2011, 12:27 PM

Mike.... you rock! Next you need to start smelting your own steel! :D

stereo.pete

06-20-2012, 10:13 AM

cooll man....... i am also try find like this mes :P

Did somebody give Binanti bath salts because he just brought this thread back from the dead!!!

kalaeb

06-20-2012, 10:59 AM

Did somebody give Binanti bath salts because he just brought this thread back from the dead!!!

Good news is, I forgot about this thread, but now its almost been a year so this wood should be pretty dry so.....when do we see some for sale?

Eamon Burke

06-20-2012, 11:53 AM

:zombiegrave:

Taz575

06-20-2012, 01:00 PM

I'm glad he Zombie'd the thread, I dunno how I missed this thread the first time around!!

Mike Davis

06-20-2012, 01:33 PM

Hahahahaha I had a few blocks up for sale. I have quite a few, maybe i will list a few :)

Oh, just so you know the wood is sitting around 8% MC so it is definitely dry.

Taz575

06-20-2012, 01:45 PM

I have a 30# box of Hard Maple, some spalted, some curly, some kinda feathery, sitting waiting to dry out fully. And I already started looking for more burls at work. Even have my Lt. at work looking for burls on the way to calls for me! It's fun being a burl junkie!